The humanitarian sector must broaden its view to anticipate new hazards, the Humanitarian Futures Programme (HFP) warns in a short film to be screened at a forum in Canada on Oct. 26.
The film posits that humanitarians and governments should be ready to manage such threats as cybernetic failure, solar flares, infrastructure collapse and technological breakdown, which could occur across the globe within the 21st century.
"Humanitarian Futures: New Challenges, New Opportunities" will be screened to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Ottawa by Randolph Kent, HFP director. The forum will include humanitarian agencies and representatives from the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) International Humanitarian Assistance Division and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).
"We've learned how to provide effective responses to disasters but we have never been brought up in culture of preparing ourselves for the type of disasters that are going to be coming our way," Geoff Loane, International Committee of the Red Cross Head of Mission UK, says in the film.
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more information see our Acceptable Use Policy.
comments powered by Disqus